Lottie BucktonTaylor
by rubyangellove
Summary: Hi, this is a story with a new character I made up. Please read it and I would really love some feedback on what you think of my writing as I desperately want to be a published author. Thank you. Love RubyAngel
1. Chapter 1

A young girl stepped out of the airport and looked round for a taxi. She hailed one and got inside.

"Summer Bay please," she requested.

The car sped off.

This wavy brown haired girl was Lottie. She had just run away from a foster home in England. Her father had just died and she did not like the home she had been sent to. So she simply ran away with no concerns in her head at all. She had had enough money to buy the ticket and still had plenty left over. Lottie was meaning to achieve one of her life long ambitions: to find her mother.

She knew absolutely nothing about her. Her mother had left her with her father just a few days after her birth. Lottie's father never remarried; he said the only person he could ever love was Lottie's mother. When he had met her, he had been in Australia touring with his band. All Lottie had of her was a photograph. It had been taken when she was eighteen; the same age she was when she had Lottie.

Lottie was quite a wild child. For instance she had come to Australia with practically nothing and was unconcered about what anyone back home in England would do when they found out she was missing. She also was not worried about where she would spend the night – that thought had not entered her head yet. She had just brought her guitar and a bigish rucksack with a few clothes and some other sentimental things. That was all.

"Here you are," the taxi driver said as he stopped the car.

"Thank you," Lottie said and paid him.

She waved as he drove off and then picked up her hard guitar case with one hand and slung her rucksack over her shoulder.

Ahead of her she spied the diner. She was in desperated need of something to drink and maybe someone there might know where she could find her mother. Lottie looked round at the beach contentedly. It seemed perfect. She would be able to go for a run every morning and on the soft sand and play her music. Maybe she could do some performing. Her dreams of becoming an artist seemed so close. But first she had to find her mum.

Inside the diner it was busy. She confindently went over to counter.

"Hi," she said. "Could I have a bottle of water please?"

"Sure love," said Irene. "Are you new round here?"

"Yeah I've just flown in. I'm Lottie from London, England," she held out her hand.

Irene shaked it feeling interested in this peculiar girl. "So Lottie from London, England, what are you doing over here?" she asked.

"I looking for my mum."

"Oh that sounds challenging."

"Well yeah, she lives here and she has the same name as me. I've never met her, but I know she's really beautiful."

Ruby was having dinner with Charlie that evening when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," Ruby chirpped livelily and she ran to open it. Outside stood Lottie.

"Hi," Lottie said. "I'm looking for my mum."

"Yes, and?" questioned Ruby, wondering why the girl was informing her of that.

Lottie continued, evedently not noticing how strange Ruby thought she was. "I was told Charlie Buckton lived here."

"I'm Charlie Buckton," said Charlie coming to the door. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lottie Buckton-Taylor," Lottie smiled. "I'm your daughter." Lottie put her guitar case and rucksack on the floor and ran to hug Charlie.

Charlie hugged her back awkwardly and realised she was in trouble yet again. Ruby stared opened mouthed at her mother and this other girl, feeling totally befuddled as Charlie was too.

"Hi Mum," Lottie felt so happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby stood staring at the strange sight unfolding in front of her and especially the strange girl who had suddenly or maybe even magically appeared. It was too much. In less than a year so much had happened to Ruby that she seemed to be caught up in a whirlwind or hurricane or tornado or twister. It was like she couldn't even keep control of her own life.

"Sorry," she said as Charlie and Lottie continued to hug. "Did you say _Buckton_-Taylor?"

Nobody listened to her.

"Are you really Lottie?" asked Charlie.

"Yes, I'm me."

"Oh," Charlie hugged her again. "I've loved you from the day you were born, even if you never knew. I can't believe you've found me."

"I always knew you loved me. I could feel it in my heart," said Lottie.

Ruby rolled her eyes. This was getting ridiculous. "Hello?" she questioned pointedly and got no response. "Hello? Is anybody listening to me or am I just talking to myself?" still no answer. "OK, I'm gonna go now and leave you to your little reunion."

Suddenly Charlie woke up from her daze. "Oh my God, Ruby!" she ran to the door, but Ruby had already left. Charlie sighed and turned back to Lottie. "OK madam, you have got a lot of explaining to do," she sat down on the sofa and motioned Lottie to do the same.

Lottie did so and cuddled up to Charlie as though she never wanted to be parted from her – which she probably didn't.

"OK so what on earth are you doing here?"

"I came to find you. I'd been wanting to meet you forever so I got the first plan I could from London and flew over to find you."

"Wait, what? You flew all the way to Australia from London. Oh my God. Well, where's your father then? You can't have come here all by yourself," Charlie felt very muddled.

"Well he's kind of the reason I'm here. He died a couple of weeks ago and so I got sent to this foster home place which I didn't like so I got a plane and came to find you," Lottie spoke very quickly so Charlie could only absorb a few things.

"He's dead," she looked deflated. She had loved him too. It was one relationship that hadn't been completely screwed up. "Oh," then she absorbed everything else Lottie had said. "Wait, what?" she said again. "You ran away from a foster home? Alone? OK, how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Oh my God. Is that possible?" Surprisingly Charlie didn't actually know much about parenting and children. One day, she thought, it might be nice to raise a child in normal circumstances. "OK this is one big mess."

Lottie thought Charlie was overreacting and didn't think it was a mess at all.

"Well did you bring anything with you?" said Charlie.

"Yeah, I brought a bag with a few clothes and things and my guitar."

"Is that all?" Charlie gasped thinking it was an inadequate package to take across the world with you. She herself would have packed everything, probably including the kitchen sink. "You are so your father's daughter," she sighed.

"Yeah," Lottie paused sadly as she remembered her father who was the best person in her life. "Who was the other girl before?"

"You mean Ruby? That's my other daughter," she replied slightly uncomfortably.

"Really? But she looks a lot older than me!"

"She's seventeen," it was Charlie's turn to pause sadly. "I was raped."

Lottie seemed to back away. "Oh well in that case, don't tell me – I'm not good with these things."

Charlie was glad of an excuse not to explain her screwed up life. So she just said, "She's the reason I had to leave you," she laughed. "It's complicated."

"It's fine. The point is I'm here now and so are you. So can I like, live with you now? I don't really want to go back to England," Lottie asked hesitantly, hoping she answer would be yes. She would die if she said no.

"Of course you can. You can live with me as long as you want. We've got a lot of time to make up," Charlie fiddled with one of Lottie's little curl. She used to have hair like her's, before the curls grew out. "We'll sort it out with the foster home in England. Don't worry about anything. But, do you need to get anything from England?"

"No. I've got my guitar," Lottie yawned.

Charlie smiled. "Come on you need to go to bed. You can have Ruby's old room," Charlie took her hand and led her there.

"Ruby doesn't live with you?"

"No. It's complicated."


	3. Chapter 3

Later that evening when Lottie was asleep and Charlie was wondering what to do about her, Ruby came in.

"Hey," said Ruby and sat down next to her. "I thought I should probably come and see you before I go to bed."

"That's nice," said Charlie. "Where did you go?"

"I went for a walk on the beach."

There was an awkward silence.

"I never expected her to turn up," Charlie said tactfully. She knew Ruby was sulking.

"Can you just explain her to me. I'm very confused."

"OK," Charlie took a deep breath. "Do you remember when I went to do my training and I was away from home a lot?"

Ruby nodded.

"You were only three. Well when I was there I met the guy who was touring with a band and he was really nice and I went out with him and then I discovered I was pregnant. He was the first boyfriend I'd hand since Grant. Mum and Dad would not have been happy if I had gone home with a baby and would certainly not have let me keep it. But I couldn't get rid of it, I loved him to much. So I had the baby and I knew when I finished my training that I'd have to come home and by then he had to go back to England. I had to get back to you. He knew that I would always have to leave and we called the baby Charlotte, like me. Then he took the baby back to England and I came back to you," Charlie finished.

Ruby nodded, taking this all in, slowly digesting it. "Wow," she said. "It's amazing how you can have so many secrets... or lies."

"Rubes..."

"It's fine. You're just a surprising person. I've learnt to deal with whatever you throw at me. You get used to it."

They sat in silence once more. Charlie knew that Ruby was right.

"Where is she now?" said Ruby meaning Lottie.

"In your old bedroom," Charlie admitted. She knew Ruby wouldn't like it.

"No! Get her out of there now!" she exclaimed crossly and frowned. Charlie hated it when she frowned – she looked like Grant when she did.

"Come on Ruby, where was I supposed to put her? Your not even living here anymore."

Ruby muttered something that Charlie couldn't hear. "Yeah, fine," she said accepting this too. "OK," she stood up. "I'm gonna go home now. I might come see you on the way to school in the morning," and she left.

"OK," Charlie said, but it was too late; Ruby had already left. It hurt her so much that "home" to Ruby wasn't with her. She sighed and for the billionth time wished she could go back in time and start her life again. Sure, she'd have her children, but not like she did. Well Lottie was conceived in love, Ruby was not. She loved Lottie because her father was someone she loved, but she had hated Ruby because her father was not. She loved her now though and not one part of her hated her at all. Now part of her hated Lottie for coming in between the relationship between her and Ruby just when it was almost fixed. But she loved her too. Charlie was confused about the love she had for both her daughters. Did that make her good mother, or a very bad one?


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Lottie woke up and wondered where she was. Then she remembered the events of the night before. She had finally found the woman she'd been dreaming about for what seemed like forever.

As she lay in bed dreaming it suddenly occurred to Lottie that she was hungry so she clambered out of her nice warm bed – or Ruby's bed – and found her way to the kitchen where Charlie was looking through some papers.

"Hey," she said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Can I get something to eat?"

"Sure. What do you want? Toast, cereal, yoghurt or you can just ransack the fridge."

"I'd like some bread please, I'll make myself a sandwich."

Charlie handed the bread to Lottie who proceeded to apply a thick layer of peanut butter to each slice. Then she took a banana which she cut up and placed it in between the bread and ate her peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Charlie watched her with interest. "Is that a nice combination?" she asked.

Lottie nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. You'll have to try it."

Charlie looked like she could do without that meal.

At that point Ruby came bouncing through the door. "Hi Charlie, I thought I'd be too late to see you, but..." she trailed off as she noticed Lottie. "Oh," she said, "I've forgotten about you."

Lottie just continued to eat her sandwich.

Charlie got up and went to talk to Ruby by the door. "Rubes, be nice. The girl's just lost her dad and is in an unfamiliar country. I would really like it if you could make an effort to get to know her. It would be very nice if both my daughters could be friends with each other."

"Yes, yes, OK," Ruby said unrelentingly.

The two of them came back and sat at the table with Lottie.

"So Lottie," said Ruby trying to make conversation and not doing very well, "how do you like the bay?"

"Well I haven't really seen much of it, but it looks pretty cool."

"That's an idea, maybe you could show Lottie round after school Rubes," suggested Charlie.

"No, sorry I can't. Liam and I have got some work to do. Anyway Charlie, why aren't you wearing your uniform, you've got to be at work in ten minutes."

"Yes, I've called in sick today. I've got some things to do with Lottie."

Ruby raised her eyebrows and her disbelievingly. "And you tell me off for wagging," she muttered. "OK well I'm going to be a good girl and go to school," she said and left.

Charlie sighed, having one daughter was bad enough – now she had two to deal with.

"Are you still a police person then?" asked Lottie. "My dad told me you were training to be one when you guys met." Lottie got up to get a drink of water and then sat cross-legged on the table instead of the chair which she evidently found more comfortable.

"Yes I am," Charlie looked up at her. "Why are you sitting on the table?"

"I usually sit on the table at home. Do you mind?" said Lottie perfectly innocently.

"No, no not at all. You can sit on the table if you really want to," replied Charlie, thinking this girl was quite mad.

"I used to want to be a police person," said Lottie who had the ability to talk for England, "'cause basically all I knew about you was what you did and I wanted to be just like you. But then I changed my mind."

"What do you want be now then?" Charlie was wondering if she should be offended

"An artist."

"Oh that's nice. There's lots of places round here which are really good to paint or draw. I've never tried that because I was never good at art, but..."

"Oh no, I don't want to be that kind of artist. I want to be an artist like my dad. I'm a guitarist."

"Like he was?"

"Yeah. He taught me everything I know. I never go anywhere without my guitar and I always carry a notebook in case I get any inspiration for songs. I did write a song about you once. I'd never play it though 'cause I wrote it when I was like five and it is terrible!"

Charlie nodded. "You and Ruby should get together, she's pretty into this musical stuff too. Well all I can say is neither of you get it from me. Now I've got to make lots of phone calls to arrange your staying with me permanently if that's what you want, so do you think you can occupy yourself for a while?"

Lottie nodded and immediately headed for her guitar. Charlie spent the morning making phone calls and then she took Lottie shopping. When they got home she made another phone call and Lottie when back to her guitar. A few minutes later Charlie put her head round Ruby's bedroom door.

"Lottie can you do something else or take that thing else where – I can't hear!"

So Lottie sighed and decided to go for a walk along the beach. She put her guitar over her body and headed out, strumming all the way.


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby sat on the gentle slope that slopped down to the beach. For once she was not thinking about how she loved being with Liam and not listening to a word he said, but instead she was thinking about Lottie and not listening to a word he said.

"So what do you think?" Liam said, but it was like he was talking to a brick wall or thin air or a bush.

There was no response from Ruby.

"Ruby, are you listening to me?"

Nothing.

"Ruby!"

She blinked and turned to him. "Yes?" she said.

"You've been daydreaming again," Liam sounded fed up.

"Oh my God, sorry. Sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment. In fact it would probably make a good song," Ruby sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No not really actually. No I just... I just want to forget about it and doing this should help. I will concentrate and not think about Lottie anymore."

"Who's Lottie?"

"Oh it turns out that I happen to have a little sister and she turned up last night looking for Charlie. It's just another one of Charlie's secrets," Ruby stopped realising she had said she didn't want to talk and here she was talking. She was about to start talking again when she heard something. "What is that sound?" she asked Liam.

"It sounds like a guitar," he looked round.

"Oh God," said Ruby looking across the beach. "Here comes trouble," she said despairingly as she saw Lottie walking very happily along the sand playing her guitar.

"Who's that?" asked Liam.

"That is Lottie."

"She's a very good guitarist." This was true. Lottie was amazing on the guitar.

"Oh no, and she's coming towards us."

It was true. Once Lottie had spotted Ruby, she waved and sadly Ruby waved back. Then Lottie began to climb up the hill.

"Hey Ruby," she said sitting down.

"Hi Lottie," Ruby did not look at all pleased, maybe this was because she was not.

Liam held out his hand. "I'm Liam."

Lottie shook his hand. "Please to meet you," she said politely.

"Liam and I are making an album together," Ruby inserted.

"Wow, that's really cool!" exclaimed Lottie, genuinely interested. "Mum told me you were into music."

Ruby sighed. She hated the way Lottie had just appeared and fitted in and calling Charlie 'mum'. That had to be the most annoying thing in the world when Ruby couldn't call Charlie that and she'd known Charlie her whole life and Lottie had only known her, what? two days. But things were going to get worse for poor Ruby.

"That's an awesome guitar you've got Lottie," said Liam eyeing her guitar. He was right again. She had 'Lottie' written on it in white crystals with a deep pink heart underneath.

"Thank you," she smiled shyly. "I love playing my guitar more than anything."

"That's great and who are your guitar heroes?"

"Well my dad obviously. Then I love Jack Johnson and Taylor Swift. I'm also quite into Bruce Springsteen, but that's 'cause my dad was completely obsessed with him. All three are good guitarists and I admire them, but I admire my dad the most. He taught me everything I know about music."

"Would you give us a demonstration?"

"Yeah, of course." Lottie began to play and sing. She played a G chord to begin with followed by a D. She was mesmerizing to watch and even Ruby crossly admitted to herself she was an excellent artist. Inside Ruby was boiling and going very green. But still the worse had not come.

"Wow," Liam said when Lottie had finished her performance. "That was fantastic. You should join us in our album, if you'd like too?" he offered.

Ruby was horrified. There was no way she was letting this happen.

"Oh, well..." Lottie began, utterly delighted at the idea. This was her dream.

"Liam, I don't think that's a good idea," said Ruby very firmly, "I mean we've already recorded stuff and..."

"Well we can just do a few more with Lottie in it too. She's got a good voice and she's a better guitarist than I am," Liam praised Lottie in a way he had never praised Ruby and yes, she felt jealous. She was very jealous of this little girl who was her sister.

Now Lottie was sensitive and had a brain. She could tell what Ruby was feeling, so she said, "Well that's very nice of you to give me that chance, but I think I'd like to stay working on my own for a while. Just me and my guitar. So I'm going to have to turn down your offer I'm afraid, but thank you very much all the same."

Ruby watched this speech with interest. She too was a sensitive person and could tell that Lottie would have loved to have joined Liam and herself and it was Ruby's jealousness and selfishness that Lottie had noticed that was stopping her. Ruby respected Lottie for this and for the first time gave her a smile.

"Are you sure?" said Liam.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Lottie looked at Ruby who suddenly developed a great interest in the grass. "Anyway, I'd better be going now. I'll see you guys around."


	6. Chapter 6

That evening as Charlie and Lottie walked along the beach, Charlie said, "Well you can now officially stay with me and I've enrolled you at the high school here and you can start tomorrow."

"You've what?" asked Lottie, not having a clue what 'enrolled' meant.

"Got you a place at school."

"Oh," said Lottie, who had been hoping she might not have to go to school for a while. "Is that really necessary, because I already know what I want to be and I don't really need to go to school for it. Anyway I want to get signed as soon as possible, so..."

"Lottie, no," Charlie smiled firmly. "You are going to school."

Lottie rolled her eyes. Seriously there was absolutely no point in her going to school. It was a waste. However knowing Lottie she would end up going and love it.

But that is not exactly what happened. Ruby had been instructed to take her to school with her, which she did if walking ahead with Nicole counted.

When Lottie entered the building she immediately lost. Ruby had vanished and she knew no one. Then she spotted someone she did.

Liam.

"Oh hi Lottie," he said coming over to her.

"Hey," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the music teacher."

"Oh that's cool. Listen, do you have any idea where I am supposed to be? 'Cause I am completely lost!"

"Come with me and we'll find out."

"I hate her!" Ruby ranted at Nicole as they got their books out from their lockers. "She's just appeared and is intruding in everything. She stolen Charlie away from me and now Liam really likes her too! Why can't she just go back to England with her oh so amazing dad who she never stops talking about?"

"Well that might be slightly difficult Ruby, seeing as he's dead," Nicole pointed out. "I don't know, just like give it time. She seems really sweet."

"Sweet?" Ruby exclaimed appalled. "Lottie Taylor is not sweet!" Ruby refused to include 'Buckton' in Lottie's name. She did not want to have Lottie in her family. "She's ruining my life."

"OK, Ruby, don't you think you're going a little over the top? She's been here, what? three days. I mean come on, she cannot be that bad."

"Oh believe me, she is."

"Well," Nicole concluded teasingly, "at least it's stopped you thinking about _Liam_!"

Liam took Lottie to a classroom where Miles introduced her to the class. "OK class, we have a new student, this is Lottie Buckton-Taylor and she's joining us from England. Some of you know Ruby and Lottie is her sister. Now I'm sure you all welcome Lottie and help her settle down here," he said and told Lottie where to sit.

At the end of the lesson Lottie followed the class out into the corridor. She had been told which locker she was to use and was just about to open it when she felt herself being pushed against it. She turned round to face a girl she had seen in her class.

"So Lottie Buckton-Taylor from England," she sneered. "You're really weird you know that? With your posh English accent. We saw you on the beach yesterday playing your country music. You can't sing and you can't play the guitar. It's not like you're ever going to be famous – you're not pretty enough," the girl narrowed her eyes and pinched Lottie's arm before walking off.

To the left of her Lottie saw Ruby had been watching the proceedings and had then gone too. Lottie sighed. She'd never been bullied before and had always had plenty of friends. Suddenly she really missed them and felt like she was on a different planet from them. The question that entered her head was, 'was that girl right?' She always been told she was good at singing and playing the guitar, but had people been saying that just to be nice. But Lottie was determined and decided she was not going let her dreams be destroyed by the mean girls.


	7. Chapter 7

So Lottie's school days continued like that for quite a while. She was failing in everything. The only subjects she excelled in were music and English. Her relationship with Ruby didn't get any better either. She played her guitar and wrote her songs and tried to find places Charlie approved of where she could perform. Sure, she loved her new life in the sun where she swim every day and play her guitar on the beach, but she missed England to. She missed her friends especially as she had no friends here at all. Sometimes at school she hang around with Xavier and his girlfriend April. Lottie figured she'd only kind of made friends with them because Xavier was Ruby's ex, but she didn't spend much time with them because she could tell they wanted to be alone. So Lottie was lonely.

Her life was going smoothly though – minus the bullying – and each day rolled into one until her life became bumpy.

Lottie was walking back one evening from having a muffin at the diner when she began to feel uncomfortable. It was dark and quiet and she was alone.

Behind her Lottie heard footsteps. She looked behind her and saw a man following her.

Lottie crossed onto the other side of the road.

The man followed her.

Lottie wished she wasn't alone.

Her heart was thumping so hard it hurt.

Swiftly and unexpectedly she felt herself being grabbed from behind. Lottie screamed and a hand was clamped tightly over her mouth. She struggled to get free, but in vain. Schiesse, Lottie thought. She always swore in German, courtesy of her friend back home in England. Was that where her home was? She wished she was there.

Before she knew what was going to happen to her, Lottie was on the floor. Then she knew. She knew what was going to happen. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Please," she tried.

He ignored her.

"Please," her voice was so soft.

Then she knew it was real. "No!" she screamed. "Mum, help me!"


	8. Chapter 8

Charlie and Ruby were walking along the beach. It was nice to be alone with each other once more. They hadn't seen much of each other as Charlie had been spending time with Lottie recently and had been neglecting Ruby a bit. OK, a lot.

"I like this," said Ruby, "our evening walks along the beach."

Charlie smiled to herself. "Me too. I'm sorry I haven't been paying much attention to you. I've been so busy getting to know Lottie."

"It's fine. I was a bit jealous of her. But you should spend time with her, after all you haven't seen her for fourteen years and you've had me forever. I still don't like her very much," Ruby admitted.

"Rubes, you have no need to be jealous of her!" exclaimed Charlie. "You will always be my first and most precious daughter. She could never replace you." Charlie felt a bit like she was lying. She had hated it when Ruby had moved out and didn't want to live with her anymore and it felt like this gap in her heart had gone when Lottie arrived and wanted to live with her. So in that sense, she had replaced Ruby.

"No Charlie," began Ruby very firmly, "you have to love both your daughters equally. As much as I'd like you to, you can't love me more than her. That would make you a bad mother which you're not," Ruby stopped as she didn't think what she had just said made total sense.

"OK," was all Charlie said.

"Where is Lottie tonight?" asked Ruby.

"She's at the diner having a talk with Colleen," chucked Charlie.

"Ah," said Ruby, smiling too. Colleen and Lottie were probably the most talkative people in Summer Bay and so they got on very well together.

Coming to the path that led down to Charlie's house, Ruby spotted something. "Hey look Charlie, there's someone lying on the path."

They both hurried over to the body.

"Oh my God!" screamed Charlie, utterly horrified at what she saw. "It's Lottie!"

It was Ruby who was able to control her mother and convince her that they needed to help her sister. Now. "Charlie, come on. She's covered in blood. We need to get her to the hospital."

Lottie's eyes fluttered open. "Ruby," she whispered.

Both Charlie and Ruby heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh my baby," said Charlie as she moved Lottie's bloody hair off her face.

"It hurts."

"I know. Your gonna be OK."

"Charlie, the hospital. Now!" ordered Ruby.

Charlie nodded as if in a dream. She gently picked up Lottie and carried her as quickly as she possibly could to the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

"OK there is an emergency here! My sister is sick!" Ruby announced confidently to anyone who would listen as she entered the hospital with Charlie behind her carrying an unconscious Lottie in her arms. Ruby wasn't actually sure if Lottie was 'sick' in the sense of being ill, but it was the only word she could think of. It was also the first time she had referred to Lottie as her sister.

Rachel appeared round the corner.

"Rach," gasped Charlie, "please help me. It's Lottie. I just found her. I don't know what's happened to her. Please help me."

Rachel instantly took charge of the situation and began bossing people around. A nurse came and took Lottie from Charlie.

"OK Charlie. Just wait here, we'll take care of Lottie," Rachel tried to calm her as she cried. Then noticing Charlie's bloody clothes she said, "You might want to get home and change into some clean clothes."

"We're not leaving her," said Ruby.


	10. Chapter 10

Ruby sat listening to Rachel talking to Charlie.

"She's awake now and you can see her," Rachel was saying. "She's barely injured at all except for some cuts on her face. The thing I can't understand is where all the blood has come from."

"Why don't you know?"

"Well there's no wound big enough for her to loose that much blood, so..."

Ruby got bored of hearing this conversation of Charlie ask questions that Rachel couldn't answer. She got up and made her way to the room where Lottie was.

"Hey Lottie," she said and sat down on the bed.

"Hey," Lottie sat up.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better."

Ruby nodded, not knowing what to say next. Lottie had been around for about a month now and Ruby still didn't know anything about her. She was sorry and she decided to be honest.

"I was scared when I saw you on the ground earlier," she said. "I was afraid you were actually gonna die and I wouldn't have got a chance to be a proper sister to you. It made me realise how silly I've been. I want to say I'm sorry for not being nice to you and I hope we can try to get along and just have the occasional sisterly fight."

Lottie smiled. "I'd like that."

"I'm also really sorry for the all the times I've seen you getting bullied by those girls in your year and I didn't do anything to stop them. I'd like to introduce you to my friends sometime."

"Thanks," Lottie said, surprised and very touched by Ruby's kindness. "I guess I just have to put up with the bullies."

"Someone once told me, it's this really weird saying, but it's something like, 'sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me'," said Ruby, wondering if this was correct.

"Yeah that is strange. I don't think I really mind the teasing, but I don't like it when they're rude about Mum."

"What do they say?"

"Not much. But one time they called her a slut, for getting pregnant twice so young. She's not."

Ruby frowned. "I know, she's not. She was raped," at this Lottie began to look exceedingly uncomfortable, but Ruby didn't really notice. "We've just gotta ignore them Lottie. We've gotta go out there and we've got to fight. We've got to fight for the Bucktons."

"Yeah."

"Another thing," continued Ruby who was on a roll with her apologies and things she had to make up, "I would really love it if you would do the album with Liam and I. It would mean a lot to me. And it would show the bullies how talented you actually are."

"Really?" Lottie asked, her eyes shining, but not quite believing it. "You'd really like me to do the album with you?"

"No, I wouldn't like it, I'd love it!"

Lottie smiled the biggest smile ever.

"There you go," Ruby grinned back, "you look better smiling than looking sad."

Then she did look melancholy again. "Ruby, you said Mum was raped right? How old was she?"

"Fifteen."

Lottie nodded and tears slowly began to roll down her cheeks.

"Lottie, what's the matter?" Ruby was genuinely concerned.

"Can you go and get Mum for me Ruby? Please, I need to talk to her."

Ruby didn't know what else to do. Lottie looked ill. "Yeah, I'll go get her," and she ran out of the room and into the reception area where Charlie was still talking to Rachel.

"Charlie, Lottie wants to talk to you," she said, but Charlie ignored her and continued her conversation.

"Charlie, Lottie wants to talk to you. Right now!" she shouted finally getting her attention and Charlie left Rachel and hurried to Lottie's room. "What is it baby?" she said, kissing her.

"I need to talk to you," she said under her breath. "Rubes, can you leave? I need to talk to Mum alone."

Ruby obligingly left.

"What is it sweetheart? Do you know what happened to you out there?"

Lottie nodded. She looked down at her hands and moved the fingers in her left hand around as though she was playing the guitar. "I know where the blood came from," she said as she imagined switching from an A chord to a G and then to a D.

"Where?" Charlie whispered.

There was a long silence and it killed Charlie. Then Lottie raised her eyes. "I was a virgin," she said, her eyes meeting with Charlie's.

Charlie stepped back, afraid. She was petrified of what Lottie was about to tell her, even though from those words she had guessed. History was repeating itself. No, correction, it had repeated itself. "Lottie, what are you telling me?" she breathed.

Lottie burst into uncontrollable tears. "I was raped."


	11. Chapter 11

Charlie screamed. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Seeing her daughter that her daughter had been raped was a million times worse.

A few months ago Marilyn had done a reading for her. She had said that something to do with Charlie's past would repeat itself with her daughter. Marilyn had then said that the reading wasn't very clear and was most likely wrong and Charlie had trusted this judgement. But that was wrong.

Both mother and daughter cried until Lottie said, "I want to go home Mum."

Charlie nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yes, I'll take you home." She picked up Lottie in her arms once more.

"Come on Ruby," Charlie said when they were in the reception area, "we're going home."

"But..." Ruby began.

"I'll tell you on the way."

"Charlie, what are you doing?" asked Rachel, noticing her. "You can't take Lottie away, she hasn't been discharged."

"I don't care. I need to take my daughter home."

"No, Charlie, you don't understand..."

"I understand perfectly!" Charlie yelled. "I know what is wrong with my daughter and I know how to look after her better than you will ever know!" and with that she marched very angrily out.

On the way home she did tell Ruby. Ruby was speechless. What are you supposed to say when you find out someone was raped?

Once home, Charlie laid Lottie down on the sofa. "Do you want anything?"

Lottie shook her head.

Ruby beckoned Charlie to the other side of the room and said quietly, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," she said helplessly.

"You must know; you went through it!"

Charlie gritted her teeth bitterly and looked over at Lottie. "I'm gonna find whoever did this do her."

Behind them someone knocked on the door and Angelo walked in. "Hey everyone," he said cheerily. "I just came to ask Lottie something," and he walked over to the sofa where she lay. "Oh dear, what on earth has happened to you?"

"Get away from me!" Lottie demanded.

Angelo looked surprised. There were three people – apart from Charlie – who Lottie had made good friends with. Colleen: because they liked talking, Marilyn: because she too like to talk and Lottie found her a great character. She spent a lot of time at the Bait Shop with her and attracted customers with her music. Then there was Angelo. There was no particular reason why they had made good friends, they just had.

Charlie rushed over to Lottie. "It's OK sweetheart. It's only Angelo, he's not going to hurt you."

Angelo felt offended at the 'only Angelo', but it seemed to calm down Lottie.

"Sorry about that Angelo," said Charlie as she stroked Lottie's head, "Lottie's had a bit of a shock and is quite upset. What do you want to talk to her about?"

"Oh well um," stuttered Angelo feeling quite miffed. "I just wanted to check she was still OK for performing tomorrow evening at the restaurant and what songs she was going to do."

"I see," said Charlie thinking it over. "I'm not actually sure she will be able to do it..."

"It's fine Mum," said Lottie swallowing. "I will still do it."

"Are you sure?"

Lottie nodded.

"OK great. And what songs are you doing?"

"I gonna do _Mine, I'd Lie _and_ Our Song_."

"Good, well I see you tomorrow," Angelo said and made is way to leave.

"Ruby, look after Lottie for a minute, I'm going to talk to Angelo," Charlie followed him outside and said, "OK Angelo, I'm going to tell you this because I know how fond you are of Lottie, but I don't want anyone else to know this right now, 'cause I know how quickly things travel in this small town and if Colleen hears about it then she'll tell everyone and I don't think that would be good for Lottie at all so..."

"OK Charlie slow down. Just tell me – I promise I won't tell anyone," Angelo said putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Well then, Lottie was raped this evening."

Silence. That was always the case when you told someone, Charlie remembered. When Angelo still didn't say anything, Charlie said, "I'm gonna get back to her now."

Angelo nodded and said, "Tell her I'm really looking forward to hearing her tomorrow."

"I will," she said and watched him leave. He was really upset, Charlie realised. He'd become quite a fatherly figure to Lottie. She went back inside and found Ruby and Lottie watching the Grammys which was just about to end.

"Taylor Swift just won album of the year again," Ruby informed Charlie.

"Again?" Charlie asked, who had no idea about this sort of thing.

"Yeah, she got it last year for _Fearless_," said Lottie and switched the television off.

Charlie nodded, still not really understanding anything. But if this was what made Lottie smile then that was OK.

"Well maybe it's time for you to go to bed Lottie. You want to be fresh for performing tomorrow. I've changed my shift at work so I'll be able to come and see you," Charlie hadn't actually seen Lottie perform before. Maybe it was because she didn't actually want to, she didn't want to be reminded of Lottie's father.

"Yeah, OK," Lottie got up and made her way to her bedroom.

"I'll come and pick you up before school tomorrow," said Ruby.

Lottie stopped. She had forgotten about school. She looked at Charlie.

"Maybe you should have a few days off school to recover," suggested Charlie. "You can spend the day with Angelo while I'm at work."

Lottie nodded and went into her bedroom.

Ruby sighed a big sigh. "I don't like seeing her sad, it's not normal for someone who's usually so happy."

"I know."

"OK, well, I'm gonna go to bed too," said Ruby and gave Charlie a hug before leaving.

Charlie went into Lottie's room where she sat on her bed. "Do you want to talk?" she asked.

"No."

"It might help. I refused to talk when it happened to me and look at me now, all messed up."

"I don't want to talk about it OK?" snapped Lottie. "Just leave me alone."

Charlie felt like crying as she did what she was told. All she was doing was trying to help her daughter. Somehow it didn't help that Charlie knew what Lottie was going through. She knew what she was going to do about it though. She was going to find the person who did this to Lottie and bring him to justice.

Charlie was awoken from her sleep on the sofa when she heard screaming. She instantly ran to Lottie where she found her having a nightmare.

"Get away from me!" she pleaded loudly.

Charlie gently woke her up and Lottie looked up at her through her tears. "Sweetheart, it's me."

Lottie looked so relieved and she grabbed onto Charlie tightly, sobbing hysterically.

Charlie sat down hugging Lottie back. It was a good thing Leah and VJ were away at the moment. "It's OK baby. I'll look after you. I'll make everything better. Come on, breathe."

"I can't breathe without you," said Lottie which was her way of telling Charlie to stay with her.

"I'll never leave you alone."


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning when Lottie wandered into the kitchen she found Charlie already there going through a pile of papers.

"Hey," said Charlie, "I made you a peanut butter and banana sandwich."

"I'm not hungry," Lottie picked up the plate and put the sandwich in the bin.

Charlie watched this, cross that her effort had been wasted. "You have to eat something Lottie."

"I said I'm not hungry! Deal with it."

Charlie did not have that much patience and it was already disappearing. "OK," she said trying not to get angry with Lottie. "I'm gonna walk you over to Angelo's before I start work, so you might want to take something to do."

"I'll take my guitar and practise for this evening," she said and went to get it.

Charlie now knew how her mother had felt the day after she had been raped. It was difficult.

When Lottie came back with her guitar she said, "All set," quite happily.

"Good. Lottie, can I ask you one thing? What did the guy look like?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Lottie this guy is still out there. We need to bring him to justice."

"What did you do?"

"What?"

"When you got raped, did you get the guy? Did you bring justice when there can be none? He stole my virginity! OK I don't want to keep on thinking about it, I want to forget and hope that I don't get pregnant from this. I have no interest in going to speak in court or whatever you do; he can be lost in a labyrinth for all I care. Just stop talking about it!" Lottie ranted.

Charlie sighed a deep sigh. "I do know what you're going through," she tried.

"No you don't! You don't know anything about what I'm going through!"

Charlie broke. "Yes I do! I was raped too remember!"

They stood glaring at each other for a while.

"Tall, skinny, dark skin, big nose, ugly, brown eyes, thin lips, probably about your age," she paused. "Can we go now?"

They walked in silence over to Angelo's restaurant where he had just finished setting up for the day.

"Hi Charlie," he said when he saw her. "Ah Miss Taylor," he said addressing Lottie, "I thought we could go sailing before I have to open at lunch time, would you like that?"

"Yeah."

"OK, well if you just want to put your guitar somewhere safe inside, we can go," he opened the door for her and went in.

"Thank you for this Angelo," said Charlie when Lottie was out of earshot. "She needs to get outside. She's very grumpy," she warned him and then seeing Lottie returning she whispered, "Please try and get her to eat something."

He nodded, wondering if he should be taking notes. He had never actually spent the whole day looking after a child before, least of all a teenage girl.

"OK well I'm gonna go to work," said Charlie in a normal tone of voice. "Have a good day and I'll see you two later. Be good," she warned Lottie before kissing them both goodbye.

"Right, come on Missy, let's go sailing."


	13. Chapter 13

Having finished work for the day Charlie made her way to Angelo's restaurant thinking about Lottie. She had spent her day at work trying to find someone who matched Lottie's description of the man who raped her. She found a few people. She wished Lottie would let her help her and not push her away.

She found Lottie in the back room practising.

"Hey baby girl," she said.

"Hi," Lottie stopped playing.

"So have you had a good day?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, really good. We went swimming as well as sailing."

"Have you eaten anything?"

"Angelo just made me some pasta. Ruby's on her way by the way. She texted me," Lottie said and showed Charlie the text from Ruby.

_Hello music genius :-) Just leaving skl now, tell charlie if u c her – can't b bothered to send 2 txts. Have some more people to join ur audience 2nite, we can't wait to c u! Have something to tell u 2 – think u'll like it. Love you lots, ur best big sister ever ruby xxxxxxxxxxxx (oh and Nic says hey and sends u a hug even tho she'll c u later) xxxxxxxx_

Charlie handed her the phone back and about two seconds later Ruby charged into the room and threw her rucksack into the corner. Then she hugged Lottie.

"Er mind my guitar please," Lottie laughed.

"Oh sorry. I'm very excited!" Ruby grinned.

"So what do you have to tell me?"

"OK, Romeo had this great idea that he could teach you to surf! I told him you loved the water."

"Oh come on Rubes, can you imagine me surfing?"

"Well no, I'll come with you if you want."

Charlie raised her eyebrows at her two daughters. "Now that's funny," she said. "I would pay to see you two surfing!"

"Gee, thanks for that Charlie!" exclaimed Ruby.

"So who've you got to come and see me?" Lottie asked Ruby.

"Well Nic's coming obviously, then Romeo's coming too and Indigo and Dex and I even managed to persuade Xavier and April to come too!" Ruby sounded and was very pleased with herself.

"Wow, you did good," she replied.

"Oh God," Charlie shuddered, "doesn't that make you nervous, knowing so many people are coming to see you?"

"No, I've done bigger crowds. Anyway I'm only doing three songs," said Lottie carelessly.

"Yeah, well practically the whole town is coming to see your big performance," informed Ruby.

"Seriously? How does everyone know about it?"

"You told Colleen and Marilyn," said Charlie and all three Buckton girls laughed hysterically.


	14. Chapter 14

Lottie put her guitar over her shoulder and stepped onto the small stage where a microphone had been placed before her. She surveyed her audience before speaking. Charlie, Ruby, Nicole and Liam were in the front table. Charlie was looking at her proudly, and the other three gave her big cheesy grins. On another table was Romeo with Indi and Dex and further back were Xavier and April practically making out with each other. Lottie had to laugh to herself. At the back Marilyn waved excitedly at her and dotted through out the back of the restaurant were the rest of Summer Bay's residents and filling up the rest of the tables were some non-residents who had just come for the evening.

Lottie decided it was time she began. "Good evening everyone," she said. "My name is Lottie and I'm going to sing you a few songs to entertain you tonight. They are all by my favourite artist Taylor Swift and I hope you enjoy them. I'm going to start with one of her newest songs, _Mine_."

Lottie stepped back and raised her luck deep pink guitar pick and played a Cadd9 cord, followed by G, Em7 and D four times. Then she began to sing. "_You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables, left a small town and never looked back, I was a flight risk, afraid of fallin', Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts. I say, "Can you believe it?" As we're lyin' on the couch, the moment, I can see it, yes, yes, I can see it now. Do you remember, we were sittin' there, by the water? You put your arm around me for the fist time, you made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. You are the best thing that's ever been mine_."

So this song went perfectly as did her second and to begin with _Our Song_ went well too. She was confident and a very good singer. But then...

"_I've heard every album listened to the radio_..." she stopped playing and singing. Her eyes wandered everywhere and her breathing became heavier. She didn't quite know why, but it was something to do with last night. Then it got worse because she sure the mean girls at the back too. Come on Lottie, Lottie told herself, don't let them put you down. When she felt ready to begin once more, flashbacks of the night before crept into her mind.

Lottie's audience watched her expectantly.

It was Ruby who saved the day. Fortunately she had been watching Lottie rehearse and knew the words. Slowly she stepped up beside and sang into the microphone.

"_Waited for something to come alone, that was as good as our song_," she looked at Lottie and smiled and Lottie looked at her wide eyed. Ruby continued, "_'Cause our song is the slamming screen door, sneaking out late_..."

Lottie's mind finally clicked and she began to play again and sang along with Ruby. "..._tapping on his window, when we're on the phone and he talks real slow, 'cause it's late and his mama don't know. Our song is the way he laughs, the first date man, I didn't kiss him and I should have, and when I got home, 'fore I said amen, asking God if He could play it again, play it again, oh, yeah,oh,oh, yeah. I was riding shotgun with my hair undone, In the front seat of his car  
I grabbed a pen and an old napkin, and I wrote down our song_." The two sisters finished triumphantly and smiled happily.

"Thank you," Lottie said to Ruby.

"It was fun."

* * *

_**This is just a little note to say that this might be the last chapter you see for a while because I'm going away soon and I'm not actually sure how to write the next bit even though I know what is going to happen. However knowing me I will have found a solution and they'll be something up soon after all! :-) Thank you for your reviews and I hope your all enjoying it (including people who haven't reviewed). Anyway please keep reviewing - I LOVE reading your thoughts.**_

_**Love RubyAngel  
**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Well I had an idea so here it is! Love RubyAngel**_

* * *

From then on Lottie was popular at school, but she found she didn't really like having the girls around her all the time. It was nice to have someone to sit with in lessons and to talk to, but most of the time she spent with the older kids. As Romeo had promised he took Ruby and Lottie surfing and although neither of them were very good at it, they enjoyed it. She didn't see that much of Xavier and April anymore and spent most of her time with Ruby and Nicole.

Lottie didn't go outside that much. She went out to go to school and she went to the beach for her surfing lessons, but mostly she preferred to stay inside. This was partly because she felt safe on the inside and because Charlie refused to let her out of her sight. During week days it was OK because Charlie knew Lottie was safely at school and she had usually finished work by the time the school day finished, but at weekends she never had any plans so Charlie would take her to work with her. Lottie didn't really mind this. She found it quite interesting, but she drove everyone mad with her constant singing and sometimes she would take her guitar with her. Lottie used to talk to the people in the cells too, until Charlie caught her and was not a happy bunny.

Charlie was continually trying to find the person who raped her daughter. She was a very determined woman and would not rest until she had succeeded in the current task. She'd stopped nagging Lottie about it though.

However it everything got a lot worse two months later.

"Mum I need to talk to you," Lottie said coming into Charlie's bedroom and getting into bed with her.

The last time Lottie had said this to Charlie, she told her she was raped.

"What is it sweetheart?" she asked, putting her book down.

Lottie lent against her shoulder and looked up at her. "I've missed two periods," she said.

"Oh," was Charlie's reaction.

The next day Charlie took Lottie to see Rachel who had been told about what had happened to Lottie that night.

"You are pregnant Lottie," she revealed gently.

Neither Charlie nor Lottie were sure how to react and they drove home in silence. When they got home Charlie threw her car keys roughly onto the table as a way to vent her anger. "What do you want to do Lottie?" she snapped. She wasn't really cross with Lottie, she was angry with whoever it was who was destroying her daughter's life.

"I don't know."

"We're not keeping it," Charlie said.

Lottie was shocked. "What do you mean, 'we're not keeping it'? This is my child I'll decide what I do with it. You kept yours."

"Yeah and look where that got me!"

"What are you talking about? You love Ruby! You've always said she's the best thing that ever happened to you."

Charlie didn't know what she was saying anymore. She was so confused.

The two of them had many arguments like this. What Lottie didn't understand was that Charlie was trying to help even though it didn't look as though she was. She was so young – younger than Charlie had been. Of course Charlie loved Ruby, but she wasn't sure it would be the same with Lottie.

One day she got some abortion and adoption documents sent to her and sat reading them at the breakfast table.

"What are those?" Lottie asked as she bit into an apple. She was always hungry, Charlie had noticed.

"Oh nothing," Charlie said and she covered the papers up with a letter from work. As she went to get a drink from the fridge Lottie lifted the letter of and sneaked a peak at the documents underneath. She was not happy when she saw them.

Just then Ruby came in. "Morning people," she chirped. "Lottie, do you want to go over to the farm today? Indi and Dex want to know."

"I don't think that's a good idea Ruby," answered Charlie who still hardly let Lottie out of her sight.

Lottie's mind worked quickly. "Oh my God!" she screamed and stood up on her chair. "There's a mouse!"

Charlie dropped the spoon she was holding into the sink and grabbed a broom. "Where?"

"Er, over there, it's just gone under those cupboards!"

Charlie got down on the floor and stuck the broom under the cupboard and started poking around.

Lottie continued to scream. As she screamed she made violent hand gestures at Ruby which we supposed to tell her to take the papers and get out.

Ruby concentrated very hard on this and tried to decipher this strange code and failed miserably. Finally Lottie gave up and she hopped off the chair, grabbed the papers, stuffed them into the surprised Ruby's chest (still screaming) and pushed her outside and followed her.

Charlie stood up when she realised Lottie's screams had stopped. She was confused when she saw both her daughters had gone. "Hmmm."

Ruby and Lottie sat on the beach examining the papers.

"She doesn't want me to keep the baby," said Lottie.

"Hmmm," said Ruby.

Both the girls returned home and Lottie scampered upstairs. Charlie was frantically looking for something. Under pillows and cupboards and the dishwasher and every other made place. "Ruby have you seen any papers lying around anywhere? I've lost some and they're important," she said, peering in the fuse box.

"These wouldn't be they, would they?" Ruby took the papers from behind her back and waved the papers under her mother's nose.

"Yes they are. Where did you get them? Actually no, don't tell me, I know," she said as the mouse drama was explained in her mind. "There was no mouse, was there?"

"Nope. Charlie, you can't stop her keeping the baby if she wants to and right now I don't think she knows. It's not your child and it is not your choice. You made your choice when you had me. You need to support Lottie with whatever she chooses to do. You absolutely cannot force her into having an abortion which I know this is what you want her to do," Ruby tried to talk some sense in Charlie.

"I don't want her to go through the pain I went through," she wept.

"I know and for that you're an amazing mother. But you've pushed her through all these things to try and find the guy who raped her which has been for no good at all. It's just made everything worse. She still has nightmares. She hates being left alone. She's frightened of boys and other men. She's trying to be brave for you, but inside she is breaking and if you keep pushing her, she will break. You need to stop being so controlling."

"How do you know all this?" Charlie said through her tears. She knew everything that Ruby had just told her, but she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself.

"She tells me. She tells me because she is too scared to go to you because she is scared of how you will react. She is scared that you will push her more."

Charlie snapped too. She sank down in a chair and put her head in her hands. Ruby went over and hugged her. "I don't want to have to tell you all this Charlie, but I have to."

"I'm such a terrible mother," she wailed.

"You're not."

They continued hugging and crying in silence for a while until they heard something behind them that they didn't like sound of. Charlie rushed over to the staircase where she found Lottie in a little heap at the bottom having fallen down the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

So for the second time Charlie, Ruby and Lottie found themselves in the hospital. Charlie and Ruby sat in the waiting room as they waited for news about their daughter and sister.

Rachel appeared and spoke to them. "Lottie is perfectly all right, she has no broken bones, nothing – it's a miracle she didn't break her back falling down all those stairs. You can go and see her whenever you want and I can discharge her whenever."

"Oh thank God," said Charlie and got up ready to make her way to Lottie's room.

"Um, there is one thing Charlie," said Rachel hesitantly; this was the one part she hated about her job and she pulled Charlie aside from Ruby.

"What is it?" asked Charlie.

"Lottie doesn't know this yet," she spoke gently, "but she lost baby."

Charlie looked towards the Lottie's room where she saw her lying bed. Lottie's sad eyes met with hers and Charlie turned to Rachel. "How am I supposed to tell her that?" she was ready to cry. "She wanted that baby, and I was the one who was forcing her to have an abortion."

"I know. But right now she's going to need you to be her mother more than ever."

Charlie nodded. Slowly she made her way over to Lottie. She didn't know what to say. How on earth was she supposed to tell her daughter that she'd lost her baby? It didn't matter how it was conceived, it was still her child that she was never going to have. Charlie felt awful. She felt like it was her fault she'd lost the baby because she didn't want her to have it. She was now never going to meet her first grandchild.

She went in and sat on Lottie's bed. She was about to say something when Marilyn came rushing in with an enormous bunch of flowers. "Hello, hello, hello," she smiled cheerfully. "I just bumped into Leah and she told me about your accident, so I thought I'd come along and see how you're doing. I've brought you these flowers and I brought a packet of kiwi and lemon grass tea for your mother. It's lovely stuff," she said and handed Charlie a box of this disgusting sounding tea.

"Thank you," said Charlie politely and made a mental note never to get sick herself and have Marilyn come to visit her. But, Charlie reminded herself firmly, she was very kind-hearted and after all it's the thought that counts.

She waited while Marilyn and Lottie babbled on for a while and then Ruby came in too and joined in so Charlie felt like she was surrounded by parrots and chimpanzees. Finally Marilyn realised she should probably get back to the shop inviting all three of them round for supper that evening which Lottie accepted.

"I lost the baby didn't I?" said Lottie when Marilyn had left.

Charlie nodded. "I'm really sorry sweetheart."

"It's fine; you never wanted me to have it anyway," Lottie replied bitterly.

Charlie bit her lip guiltily and looked to Ruby for help.

Ruby offered it. "Hey Lottie, do you want to have a girlie night with Nic tonight? We could watch a movie, have some popcorn and chocolate," she suggested light heartedly.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."


	17. Chapter 17

As Nicole and Ruby watched a film Lottie sat in silence gazing at the screen, but not really watching. She couldn't think. She felt sick. She wished she'd never come to Australia. She just wanted to be at home with her dad. Charlie was trying to help her, but Lottie didn't want her help. She didn't know what she wanted.

"This is such a good film," laughed Nicole. "What did you think of it Lottie?"

Lottie continued to stare blankly.

"Lottie?" she tried once more.

Lottie turned to her, looking puzzled. "Sorry?"

"Do you like the film?"

"Yeah, it's good. I mean I don't know what we're actually watching – what is this?" she picked up the DVD box and looked at it, taking nothing in at all.

Nicole sighed.

Ruby wondered what to do. She had been left strict instructions by Charlie to look after Lottie. Besides this, she wanted to help her herself. "Do you want to go home Lottie?" she said.

Lottie nodded.

"OK, I'll take you home. Sorry Nic, I'll come see you once she's with Charlie. OK?"

"Yeah that's fine. Bye Lottie," she said giving her a hug. "Love you."


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning Lottie refused to get out of bed. Charlie took the day off work so she could stay at home with her. Once more Lottie stopped eating. In fact she stopped everything. She spoke in monosyllables when Charlie came to talk to her and hid her face under the duvet.

"Seriously Lottie, you need to get up and do something," said Charlie.

"No."

"Come on, it is now," Charlie looked at her watch, "it is now four o'clock and you have not got out of bed or eaten anything all day. You cannot stave yourself like this."

"Why are you so worried that I'm not eating?" It was the first full sentence Lottie had said all day.

"Well if you must know, I stopped eating after I had Ruby and I was very sick. I was in hospital for two months afterwards. I don't want that to happen to you."

Lottie remained silent. It seemed like a good enough reason. "OK."

Charlie took this as an agreement that she would eat something. "What do you want?"

Lottie contemplated this. She didn't know what she felt like eating. "Grapes."

Charlie raised her eyebrows a little. Grapes? They were mostly water – hardly something she counted as food. But she went to get some from the kitchen and brought them back to Lottie who devoured them slowly. It was a start, thought Charlie. Baby steps.

"I want to help you Lottie," she said.

"I lost the baby Charlie."

Charlie nodded and was about to say something else when she realised what Lottie had said. "What did you just call me?"

"Your name."

"Why?"

"Well really Charlie, I figure you skipped the first day of school because that's usually what people use when they're addressing you – they use your name or have you been completely oblivious to that all these years?" Lottie replied artfully.

"No, no. I get it," Charlie said. She was deeply hurt. Why did Lottie have to start calling her 'Charlie' too? She loved having some call her 'Mum', it felt like for once in her life she was doing something right. It wasn't hard for her to tell that Lottie was blaming her for the baby dying and Charlie also worked out that it wouldn't be long before she started blaming herself too.

Anyway the two of them developed a routine which lasted about a month. Charlie stayed at home doing paperwork. In her mind looking after her daughter was far more important than her job. Ordinarily she would be pushing Lottie to go back to school, but for once she thought that it was probably better for her to return when she felt up to it. It had taken a while for Lottie to leave her bedroom, but she did eventually come out for meals and things before she went back to sit in silence in her bedroom. She drifted round the house like a ghost.

It was at the end of these four weeks that Charlie realised she had been blind or maybe _**deaf**_ was the correct word.

She flew to Lottie's bedroom and found her as usual sitting cross-legged on her bed. "Lottie you haven't played the guitar all this time," she breathed. It was more of an accusation than a statement.

Lottie shrugged. "Well observed."

"Why haven't you?"

"I didn't feel like it."

"I'm going out," Lottie announced a few days later as her thinner than usual figure breezed across the hallway.

"Who with?" Charlie asked.

"Myself."

"Oh no," Charlie might even have felt better if she had said she was going out with her guitar, but she was not letting her go out on her own. "No Lottie you're not going out by yourself."

"Why not?"

"Don't you remember what happened last time you went out alone?"

"Yeah and actually I'm not that likely to forget fascinatingly enough because I am haunted by it every day of my life."

"You're not going out."


	19. Chapter 19

Angelo knocked on the door of Charlie's house. She looked up as he entered. "Hey," she smiled, but not in a particularly friendly style.

"Hi Charlie, are you going out?" he said.

"I was about to, yes."

"Where's Lottie today then?"

"Ruby and Nicole have taken her shopping in the city."

"I thought you weren't letting her out the house?" he said, getting slightly puzzled by their way of life. He was a kind hearted man, but he had a little brain which could not cope with too much at once. He was just never the brightest button in the box. Even that saying confuzzled him.

"No I wasn't, but the thought of having both Ruby and Nicole talking at me gave me a headache just thinking about it, so I said she could go. You know what those two girls can be like.

Angelo nodded. He did know.

"How is she? She hasn't been around recently."

"She's quiet. I don't really know what to do with her," Charlie explained wearily.

"Well as she's out for the day, maybe we could do something together if you're not busy," Angelo suggested. He'd missed Charlie. Things had just started to get better between the two of them, but then everything happened with Lottie and Charlie had become wrapped up in all of that. Maybe he had even become jealous of Lottie as she was taking up all of Charlie's attention.

"Oh come on Angelo. I don't have time for things like that."

Angelo raised his eyebrows. "I just thought it would be good for you to get out of the house. Take your mind off things."

"Well I'm sorry Angelo, but at least now you know how I felt when you put me second and your restaurant first."

"But Lottie's out, you don't need to look after her today."

"No, but I've got to work on trying to find the person who..." Charlie couldn't say it, "who did what he did to her."

Now Angelo understood everything. "She still won't talk?"

"Nope."

He decided to give Charlie a good talking too. She needed one. "Charlie, why didn't you talk in court when you were raped?"

Charlie closed her eyes. "Please don't talk about this Angelo."

"But why didn't you? Don't avoid the truth."

She sighed and rolled her eyes and said, "Oh my my my. OK I didn't talk because I knew that there would never be any justice for what he did to me. I just wanted to forget about everything and move on. I couldn't deal with the memories and the pain." She was almost crying.

Angelo moved towards her and enveloped her in his arms and she did cry. He comforted her and stroked and kissed her hair.

"Have you ever thought," he said, "that that is probably how Lottie feels too?"


	20. Chapter 20

Around a month later Ruby and Lottie were lying on the beach, drying out after a swim. A lot had happened in that month. Ruby had kissed Liam and the album had been put on hold. Basically they both needed cheering up.

Lottie could remember the night Ruby had kissed him. She had come running into the house and threw herself onto the sofa. Fortunately Charlie had been working.

"What's going on Rubes?" Lottie had said. She had come out of her bedroom to try and find another guitar pick. For some reason they never lived with her guitar, but resided everywhere else around the house.

"I kissed him," she wept.

Lottie wrinkled her nose and sat beside her. "Who?"

"Liam. I was going to talk to him about how I felt and there he was looking so beautiful and I couldn't help myself and I kissed him and I've ruined everything."

"It's OK," Lottie hugged her sister and best friend. "We can sort it out. You haven't ruined anything."

"Yes I have!" she howled. "He says he can't work with us anymore and that the albums on hold indefinitely."

"Oh," Lottie said tonelessly.

"I've ruined everything for you Lottie. This was your dream and you were so close."

Lottie was gutted. "We'll sort it."

There was a pause and then Ruby said, "You're so brave Lottie."

"What do you mean?" Lottie asked awkwardly although she felt she knew what Ruby was talking about. It was what everyone talked about.

And now here they were on the beach. The two of them had continued working on their music together. They had managed to put a demo together which Lottie had sent off to some record companies in America.

"We need to do something," Lottie decided.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, we've been so busy with our demo and now we've just sent it off and all we can do is wait."

"So...?"

"Have you ever wanted a proper dad Ruby?"

Ruby looked at her quizzically.

"I mean I know you kind of have a real dad, but he's dead and I know Charlie's dad has kind of always been your dad, but like it's not really the same is it?"

Ruby agreed. "Yes, and..."

"Well obviously no one's going to replace my dad, but I think I need someone, so here's what I think we should do..."

And with her eyes sparkling like a wedding ring, Lottie told Ruby her plan. Ruby's eyes began to gleam too.

"Oh my god!" she squealed excitedly, "we have to do it!"


	21. Chapter 21

**So not long to go till the end (I think). Hope you are still enjoying it - I don't know 'cause no one's told me :( Love RubyAngel **

Having carefully laid their plans, Ruby and Lottie set about carrying them out. Ruby went to Charlie. She marched into the police station during her lunch break.

"Charlie," she said in a business-like fashion, "do you love Angelo?"

Charlie looked up from her pile of paperwork and looked around to see if anyone had heard what Ruby had said. "What are you talking about Ruby?" she almost sounded cross. "It is not appropriate for you to ask and certainly not here."

"But you do love him, right?" she said persistently.

"Ruby..."

"Oh come on Charlie, I'm your daughter you can talk to me," she said opening her eyes wide innocently.

Charlie realised that the only way she could get rid of Ruby and finish trudging through her mountain of paperwork was to answer her weird question. "OK, yes I do love him. Now could you please get off that piece of paper," she gently pushed Ruby off her desk and read through the piece of paper she had been sitting on.

"Cool, and if he suddenly asked you to marry him, would you accept?" Ruby was not a very subtle person.

"Ruby what is this all about?" Charlie said exasperatedly.

"I'm just wondering!" she replied defensively. "So would you?"

"Yes I would," she admitted and suddenly became extremely interested in her computer.

"Cool, thanks Charlie. By the way, Lottie and I are doing a little impromptu beach concert tomorrow, we want you to be there."

"I'll be there," she promised.

Having been told the conversation above, Lottie was dealing with Angelo. It was quite an easy task due to the fact that Angelo would do anything for Lottie, even if it meant having her follow him round as he tried to set up his restaurant for the evening while she asked him questions about his love life.

"So my mum has really been the only girl you've ever truly loved?" she asked.

"I think so."

"And you still love her, after she's been being so annoying with her 'I'm going to shut everyone out and sort everything out myself' mode?"

"Yes."

"Well you've been together quite a while now, so maybe you should start thinking about the M word."

"The M word?"

"Marriage."

"Oh Lottie, I don't think Charlie's ready for such a big step. She couldn't even move in together."

"Oh well she is ready for marriage now!" Lottie told him.

"How do you know?"

"Well she just makes it very obvious," she said awkwardly.

He nodded.

"So," Lottie continued, "Ruby will come and get you after school and you're going to take her into the city and she's going to help you choose a ring and then she'll give you the rest of the instructions. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Angelo said, not fully absorbing everything Lottie had said.

"Brilliant," she smiled as she skipped to the door.

Angelo absorbed what she had just said. "Wait... Lottie..." he called after her.

"Ruby will explain the rest. Don't worry, she and I have got it under control!" and she ran off.


	22. Chapter 22

"OK Angelo, here is what you need to do next," said Ruby once they had bought a ring. "Now listen carefully because I am only going to explain this once."

Angelo wondered if his life was always meant to be controlled by women.

"You are going to be at our little beach concert tomorrow, aren't you?" continued Ruby.

"Am I?"

"That's supposed to be 'I am' Angelo!" she exclaimed scornfully.

"I am," he said.

"Right and Charlie is also going to be there and it is going to be lovely atmosphere and when the right time comes you will get down on one knee and ask her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but how will I know when the right time is?"

"Trust me on this, you will know. Now I need to go and talk to Lottie, so see you tomorrow."

That evening was an evening where Charlie and Leah and VJ were out so Lottie and Ruby had the house to themselves.

"Come on now you have under a day to learn how to play the guitar," said Lottie placing a guitar in Ruby's lap.

"Lottie I cannot learn the guitar in less than a day!" Ruby protested as Lottie brought out her own guitar. "Wait how do you now have two guitars?"

"Well Liam was getting a new one so he gave me his old one, which you're now holding."

"Oh," said Ruby. She was finding it difficult not to be jealous of Lottie when Liam was still happy to be friends with her.

"Seriously the guitar is very easy."

"Er, I think not."

"Yes it is now just copy me. Now this is D, it's quite simple and you need it for our song tomorrow." Lottie watched as Ruby placed her fingers in the wrong place. She arranged them properly for her. "So you play the last four strings," she said and demonstrated.

Ruby tried, but no sound came.

"You have to press down hard!" said Lottie.

She did so and this time got a sound. "Ow!" she screamed. "It hurts my fingers. No I'm sorry Lottie, I refuse to do this. It will mess up the performance tomorrow and we don't want that. It has to be perfect."

"True. OK, let's practice from the beginning."

"Have you been invited to this beach concert the girls are doing tomorrow?" Charlie asked Angelo as he put his restaurant to sleep for the night.

"Yes. Do you know what they're doing?"

"No, but I think they've been planning something. Ruby's been asking me really strange questions. Do you know anything?"

"Not really. Lottie's been asking me questions too."

"You know my relationship with Ruby and you has been so much better since Lottie appeared," said Charlie.

"Well she's a very special girl Charlie," said Angelo taking her hand as he closed the restaurant and they walked along the road.

Charlie thought about this. "Yes, I suppose she is."


	23. Chapter 23

The next morning Lottie woke up happily. Maybe by the end of today she could have a proper family again; with her mum and her sister and Angelo. It was a pity she could have had her real dad because nobody could replace him, but Angelo was a good second best.

She jumped out of bed and pulled on her school uniform before running into the kitchen where Charlie was standing at the sink trying to be tidy.

Lottie ran over to her. "Morning Mum," she said throwing her arms happily around her waist.

Charlie jumped and put her hands on her daughters arms. She turned round in them. "Hello," she gave Lottie a hug back. It suddenly dawned on her that for the first time in months Lottie had called her 'Mum'. "What did you just call me?"

Lottie looked up at her. "Mum."

"Why?"

"Well Mum, I hate to break it to you because you obviously haven't observed it yet, but that is what you become when you have children. You're my Mum so that's why I call you 'Mum'."

Charlie hugged her daughter again feeling so happy. Being a mother was the most wonderful thing ever. "Why are you so cheerful this morning?" she asked.

"No reason," Lottie skipped to the table where there was a newspaper. She picked it up and opened it on a random page. "Oh my God, that is the lushest house ever!" she squealed. "I want that house!"

Charlie looked over Lottie's shoulder. "It is nice," she agreed. It was a big modern beach house overlooking Summer Bay with a big garden and the décor was perfect too. "But we already have a house."

"Er, where?" said Lottie with a puzzled face on.

"Here."

"No Mother dear, this is Leah and VJ's house we just happen to be inconveniently living in it."

"I wouldn't say it's an inconvenience..." said Charlie.

"Maybe not for you, but it is for me I'm afraid," Lottie proceeded to give a list of the reasons why it was inconvenient for her. "I am not allowed to play my guitar after VJ goes to bed. When Ruby decides she wants to spend the night here I have to share my bed with her and as much as I love my sister, let's admit that she is not a comfortable person to share a bed with because she steals all the covers."

Charlie nodded, she knew that from experience.

"So if I want to be warm in bed I have to come and share with you which I don't really mind, but you are quite bony and you have a habit of elbowing be with your sharp elbows which can be very irritating. Then as much as I like VJ his inevitable enthusiasm can be draining especially when one is on one's period and he starts jumping over the top of the sofa and onto your stomach when you're in pain and simply trying to watch some MTV in peace and then..."

"OK, I get it," said Charlie who felt that if she didn't stop Lottie now she would get a headache and not be able to work properly. "We need to find a house for me, you and Ruby to live..."

"And Angelo," put in Lottie helpfully.

Charlie frowned at her.

"Oh come on Mum, Angelo is your boyfriend and you are his girlfriend. You are meant to be together which means you should live together. Angelo loves you. You love Angelo," Lottie made a heart with her hands each time she said 'love'. "We could be a family. A mum, a dad and two fabulous daughters. Perfectly perfect and happy," she concluded with an infectious smile.


	24. Chapter 24

**This is the last chapter. Hope you've enjoyed it. Please let me know and check out my other stories. Love Rubes xxx**

* * *

That afternoon Lottie was contently installed on the beach with two portable microphones and a box for her to stand on because she felt she was short (she wasn't that short really, just shorter than all her friends – though let's face in most of them were adults) and she needed a stage – that was vital. She had curled her hair earlier so it fell in perfect blonde/brown ringlets. Her guitar lay on the sat beside her.

The beach was deserted.

Lottie was not impressed. In fact she didn't see the beach as a beach, she saw it as Madison Square Gardens – her dream was headlining there. So the beach was in fact an empty garden. She was at The Garden and it was empty. Big disaster. Huge.

She sat down on her wooden box which had space for Ruby on it to and took out her phone and called Ruby.

"Ruby, I really don't want to swear, but I will do if you do not hurry up. Where are you? Get you high heels on this stage right now please because I can't do this without you."

"I'm recruiting people," said Ruby who was at the top of the beach with most of the high school and other inhabitants of Summer Bay who were following the crowd.

"OK good. Got to go, I have a spectator." Lottie hung up quickly and went to hug Marilyn. "If you wouldn't mind waiting," she said politely, "I have to wait for Ruby, but thank you for coming. It means a lot to me."

She already acted as though she was a famous country singer.

"Oh I'm glad I could come. I saw Colleen and she said she was coming as is Liam – he was very excited to see you."

Lottie bathed in the praise. "I'll just check the microphones are working." She went over to see them and was pleased to see Ruby had arrived with her crowd of followers. Lottie directed them to where she wanted them to stand.

Presently everyone else arrived, including Angelo, but of course there was no sign of Charlie.

"What are we going to do?" panicked Ruby. "Where is she? She promised she wouldn't be late."

"Well we'll just have to start without her and hope she arrives in time for the best bit," said Lottie, who did not want to disappoint her waiting fans. "OK we're staring now," she announced to Ruby before announcing the same thing to the large gathering in front of her.

She slung her guitar dangerously over her body and struck her opening chord and began to sing. "_We were both young when I first saw you..."_

The song went well and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. A huge relief flooded through both saw Charlie finally appeared and came and stood at the front with Angelo. Then the two singers reached the end of the song.

"Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone..."

Just as they had wanted him too, Lottie and Ruby saw Angelo slowly putting his hand into his pocket for the ring.

"Is this is in my head, I don't know what to think. He knelt to ground and pulled out a ring and said..."

"Marry me Charlie," said Angelo.

Charlie opened her mouth disbelievingly. She looked from Angelo to her two meddling and wonderful daughters on their makeshift stage and realised that this whole show was set up by them and that explained their peculiar behaviour the day before. Charlie shook her head at Lottie and smiled before turning back to Angelo, her mind in a whirl.

The girls continued their performance. "I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress..." Ruby stopped singing to watch what happened next, leaving Lottie to go solo, but she didn't mind.

"It's a love story Charlie just say yes..."

So Charlie did.

Ruby and Lottie squealed and hugged each other. "Oh my God!" said Lottie. "I can't believe we did it. We actually did it!"


End file.
